


I didn’t think this through

by Fruitloopy



Category: Cricket RPF
Genre: M/M, Marriage, Marriage Proposal, Romantic Fluff, dumb cricket boys
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-07-12
Updated: 2018-07-12
Packaged: 2019-06-09 11:49:58
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,396
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15266892
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Fruitloopy/pseuds/Fruitloopy
Summary: Joe reflects on what brought him to this moment.This perfect moment.Romantic fluff, and some bad language.This could definitely be seen as an AU (for obvious reasons) but they’re still international cricketers, and idiots. Based (loosely) around actual events.





	I didn’t think this through

**Author's Note:**

> Inspired by this photo.  
> It’s not a pairing that usually I would write (or read much of - as I haven’t seen many fics with them) but some things need to be popped down.
> 
> Hope you enjoy.

Smug. 

Joe looked about the balcony and grinned. Smugly. 

Life was pretty fucking great right now. 

Jimmy’s cackle was slightly high pitched due to several too many glasses of bubbly and Joe is sure a few pre-ceremony nerve steadying fingers of scotch.

Joe wouldn’t change a thing. 

Jimmy’s body heat is soaking through their tails - Joe’s choice, although Jimmy was very picky in regards to the waistcoats and ties, and his inebriated joy is definitely the best thing Joe has heard in a while, and he’s all Joe’s. 

***

Joe isn’t actually, if he is being totally honest, sure how he got to this point. Their start had been rocky. If Joe is going to be brutal he’d disliked Jimmy immensely on their first meeting. A real war of the roses when Jimmy had verbally castigated Joe’s entire team, Bres found the whole thing hilarious but Joe was less than impressed. 

Then Joe got the call, the phone call he’d been anticipating since he was 12. England. The big boys. The Three Lions. He hadn’t thought much beyond calling Jonny and screaming down the phone at him for 20 mins. Before calling his mum and having a good cry. 

He walked into his first day of training with Jonny, bouncing along and just excited to be there. Nothing could damper this moment. Not even when Jonny stopped talking him through what to expect to say hello to Jimmy Anderson, who grunted in response. Joe was too excited to dwell on how, quite frankly, fucking rude was that. Bloody Lancastrians.

Everyone else was perfectly nice. Alastair “call me Cookie, everyone else does” Cook was a dreamy captain. Joe was fairly sure he had drooled at him for the entire 15 mins, Jonny wouldn’t confirm either way. The Batsmen all had a chat for 5 mins and welcomed Joe. Some were nicer than others it has to be said but everyone was perfectly fine.

Then Cookie walked him over to the bowling unit who after standing about for 15 mins and shouting obscenities at each other it seemed had arranged themselves on the floor to stretch.

“Jim.” Jim who was lying on his back with one leg in the air and telling Swanny to ‘jog on’ stopped and looked up squinting. “Watcha Ali.”

“This is Joe.” Jim cocked his head and looked at Joe, “I hear you’re a spinner?” Joe nodded and waited for something “Good Monty needs some support, he can’t do it all.” The sudden squawk of indignation from Swanny startled Joe and everyone laughed, not Jimmy though, he didn’t even crack a smile, Jimmy just carried on talking to Cookie. “He spending the morning with you or doing some hard work over here with us?”

Cookie shook his head and smiled fondly, “Yeah, yeah, us batters don’t know we were born. You bowlers with your hard graft, blah blah blah. I think it would be more beneficial for Joe to learn the bowling set up this morning and I’ll take him in the nets this afternoon.” Cookie turned to Joe, “That okay with you?” Joe nodded and looked about the group, Bres was laying on his side and smiling at Joe. That was when Cookie started to walk away leaving Joe stood there, suddenly Cookie stopped and looked back “And Jim? BE NICE!”

And with that Jimmy told Cookie to “Fuck off.”

Joe had rather enjoyed that morning with the bowling unit, they were vocal and bolshie and honestly a really good laugh. Swanny and Monty had taken him in hand and put him through his paces, he was in the net next to Jimmy and Broady and Joe will be honest, it was pretty cool. David Saker had a chat with him, watched him bowl for a bit and sat with the three spinners and Joe just soaked it all up.

***

Looking back at it all now, it seems a life time ago. After such an inauspicious start it seems amazing to Joe that it had happened, but here they were, married. Insane.

Joe’s proposal had been somewhat from left field. He’d bought the ring months before, knowing it’s what he wanted, but the moment never seemed right. They were either always surround by people, or celebrating someone else’s moment, but then the perfect moment came.

***

They were playing at Leeds against Sri Lanka, and okay maybe it wasn’t the happiest of moments, but they were alone and together and honestly nobody knew what to say to Jimmy so Joe had pulled him away from the team, it was clear that all of them had wanted to reach out, but all being too emotionally constipated to actually do anything.

Cookie had managed to grab Jimmy as they left the dressing room, told him how proud everyone was of him and that he’d done so well, the hug had been a little too much for Joe who’d had to look away but it had nearly broken Jimmy by the look of it.

He had pushed Jimmy and his stuff into Joe’s car and driven off home, determined to look after Jimmy. Jim had been silent and not the normal relaxed quiet where he was just watching the world and thinking those deep Jimmy thoughts. No this silence was heavy, horrible and suffocating and for most of the evening and into the night the cloud hung about Jimmy. Joe was in the kitchen making his fourth cup of tea when it hit him. He went upstairs on the pretext of needing a wee, not that Jimmy appeared to notice. He took the little velvet box out of his underwear draw and shoved it into his jogging bottoms pocket.

Realising that he couldn’t just hand over probably the most expensive object (bar his car) his ever bought along with a cup of milky tea, in a novelty mug bought especially for Jimmy when stayed over that read, “Do I look like a fucking people person?” So he flailed about the kitchen in search of a cake he knew he had, and some of the posh crockery his mum had made him buy on a trip to John Lewis. He then made a pot of tea and artistically arranged it all on a tray.

The walk into the living area seemed to take forever and not long enough. He’d plonked the tray down and the crockery had jangled in the silence. Jim gave the tray a quizzical look and screwed his nose up rather adorably, Joe, rather heroically, didn’t say a word about it.

Joe decided to try changing the mood a little. “How about we put on another film?” Joe couldn’t remember what mindless action movie they’d put on initially but he decided to but on something lighter. He struggled but as Jimmy was staring unseeingly as the screen he made a choice, ‘When Harry met Sally’ it was, it occurred to Joe 15 mins into the story that he was Sally and Jimmy was a more handsome less chatty Harry. He laughed, Jim looked at him. “Do you do that Jimmy?”

“Do what?”

“Read the last page of a book, in case you die before you finish it?”

Jimmy was silent and then, “Nah, I just don’t read, save myself the bother.”

Joe laughed again and Jimmy smiled a little at him and pushed down into the cushions slightly abashed. And Joe was undone, or done. Jimmy was it for him. Yeah he was grumpy, and struggled putting his thoughts in order and expressing himself seemed to take a lot out of him. But he was also thoughtful and passionate and would fight tooth and nail for what he believed in and his people, Jimmy had your back. He was a laugh too, mucked about and had clearly never really grown up.

Jimmy in a relationship was a bit of a revelation to Joe. He was sweet, not saccharine, he wasn’t hearts and flowers and WW1 poetry, but he was thoughtful and straightforward, awkwardly unembarrassed about their relationship and unapologetic in his affection. Joe wanted this forever. Well maybe a happier Jimmy but you know what, it was still nice. “I know you don’t want to talk about it, but still Man of the Tournament, that pretty cool.” Jimmy shrugged, “I’d rather have seen out the last ball and done you guys proud.”

Joe shuffled about to look at his partner, “you did us very proud, everyone loves you!” Jim looks at him all wonky. “well not everyone, I’m pretty sure there are lots of Aussies who couldn’t give a shit.” Jimmy smirks and Joe falls for him a bit more. “But you did deserve it, you did all the work and it was just unfortunate, and let’s be honest if the batsmen had done their jobs it wouldn’t have been down to you.” The silence hangs there.

“I want to say something about pretty boy batsmen but honestly Joe… I… it’s… I, I just missed a straight one and I shouldn’t have.” He looked defeated and Joe wanted to do something so he did.

Kneeling next to Jimmy on the sofa, he turns the television down and clears his throat, “This isn’t how I thought this would happen but oh well”, Jimmy stares at him. “You’re quite honestly the most infuriating person I’ve ever met and you’re grumpy on a daily basis and you’re language is appalling.”

“Is this supposed to be making me feel better Joe?”

“Let me finish! But you’re also a massive nerd who likes Thunderbirds, I mean who knows which puppet flies which rocket? And you have a weird obsession with Now 42, seriously what’s with that? And you let me take dorky pictures of you and you sing with me when we’re drunk and deep down you love everyone, even Baz.”

“Who?” Jimmy says.

“You’re incestuous little friendship with Cookie and Swanny is terrifying but honestly it might be the most endearing thing about you. What do you guys talk about by the way? Is it just Swanny talking at you both about every random thought he has and Cookie looking at you both like he doesn’t know whether to drop you both off the roof or hug you? Do you talk about your feelings?”

Jimmy continued to stare in bewilderment at him.

Joe carried on “You don’t mind that I’m an idiot.”

“I do, in fact, very much mind that you are an idiot, you’re that one that doesn’t care.”

“And in spite of all of your personality defects, I wouldn’t change a thing. Because I love you.”

The last sentence hung in the air and Joe searched Jimmy’s stunned face for something, anything, but nothing happened

Joe then realised that Jimmy wasn’t saying anything because he couldn’t. The tears were threatening to fall again and Joe hadn’t expected that reaction so he just ploughed on. He pulled the little box out of his pocket and opened it up. “James Anderson, will you marry me?”

Silence, and Joe slowly started to panic, as Jimmy opened his mouth and then a horrible sound came out. It was pain and at first Joe thought he’d made a huge mistake, then Jimmy grabbed his hand, tight and was nodding. Joe realising that today had really just done Jimmy in. The man was emotionally overwrought, he was trying to say yes and trying not to cry. Joe pulled Jimmy to him and chuckled.

“Sorry, I thought it was the right moment. Perhaps I should have waited till tomorrow morning.”

He felt Jimmy shake his head against his neck and shoulder. “No, it was perfect just…”

Joe waited. And then waited a bit longer.

“… just, I never expected. I just don’t. Me? Oh I’m just gonna shut up.”

And it was perfect. Joe hoped that perhaps they could come up with a story that they could tell others that involved them not tangled up on a sofa, with snot and tears and Joe trying to tell Jimmy that he was a bit of a big deal “but don’t think you can go getting a big head about it Mr!”

Jimmy had solved the issue the next time they saw the team, someone asked Jim how he was and Jimmy just blurted out “Joe proposed, we’re engaged. Don’t ask about a date we’re still arguing about it.” And that was done. Congratulations all around, a few stupid remarks about if Swanny was giving Jim away and everyone got on with the meeting.

Joe couldn’t really remember why he was worried.

***

Once they’d stopped arguing about at date. Things sort of went okay. Joe had wanted a big do, rainbow flags everywhere and fucking unicorns, Jim had wanted low key. Joe had wanted a massive room festoons with ribbons, balloons and a top table, Jimmy had looked like he was going to throw up. Jim’s “We’re not writing our own fooking vows” had put a dampener on the poem Joe had started and Joe declaring there were to be no white suits got him a glare.

But soon they’d found compromises. Joe understood Jimmy not wanting a big deal. “I just want it to be people that are happy for you and me. Not some stupid function where people are invited because of Cricket.” Fair enough. The registry office had been lovely and a bit grander than Joe had imagined but small enough that it felt personal. Jimmy’s side of the guests had spontaneously broken into Tender by Blur led by Swanny and an epic sing song commenced. Joe had been genuinely moved. Also watching Andrew Flintoff cry was pretty funny.

They’d chosen to celebrate with a day at the races, “I want to see our horse race.”

“It’s the only weekend we’ve got free JAMES!”

They’d stomped off in separate directions and huffed about for a couple of hours. Jimmy came back, “Look I’m not gonna be stood about some hotel function room having a dance, but I’ve phoned the race course and they can get us a nice box/ function room that has a balcony and it would hold us and our guests?” Joe had conceded and actually it had been quite good fun and everyone had entered into the spirit of the day. Especially his husband.

So yeah, Joe was smug.

Really bloody smug.

And if you don’t like it you can sod off.

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading.


End file.
